Entertainment category, Page 168
Movie review: ‘Nope’ another genre-disrupting masterpiece from Jordan PeeleVideo
In “Nope,” writer/director Jordan Peele presents us with a big, shiny summer blockbuster — a cowboys and aliens riff built from the DNA of sci-fi spectacles of yore — and then proceeds to vivisect the very notion of a summer blockbuster before our eyes. He wants us to question the...
Tull Family Foundation not renewing Sewickley theater sponsorship
The Tull Family Foundation will not renew naming rights for a movie theater that’s become a cultural destination in Sewickley. Sponsorship of The Tull Family Theater, as the independent non-profit movie house has been known since it opened in February of 2017, will expire at the end of the year....
The Chicks, now Dixie-free and on tour, talk music, feminism and singing the anthem at the 2003 Super Bowl
The Chicks, the groundbreaking country-music trio formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, have a specific requirement for the members of their new, talent-rich touring band. “We do have a policy,” said violinist and vocalist Martie Maguire. “We have a ‘no a—holes’ policy.” “No a—holes — and no armpit hair!” added...
TV Q&A: Does ‘The Young and the Restless’ have a Pittsburgh connection?
Question: I noticed that on the June 30 episode of “The Young and the Restless” one of the characters said he was taking his son to the Brewers vs. Pirates game in Pittsburgh. In fact, the Brewers and Pirates were playing that very day. Was this a coincidence or is...
Netflix loses nearly 1 million subscribers, but helped by ‘Stranger Things’
The popularity of sci-fi series “Stranger Things” helped Netflix fight back against a stream of subscriber cancellations. The Los Gatos, Calif.-based streamer said Tuesday that it lost 970,000 subscribers in the quarter, marking the second consecutive quarter of subscriber declines. Nonetheless, the drop was not nearly as bad as the...
The Kid Mero and Desus Nice go separate ways, taking out Showtime’s ‘Desus & Mero’
The late-night talk show “Desus & Mero” will not return for a fifth season at Showtime as hosts Desus Nice and the Kid Mero look to pursue separate creative endeavors, a spokesperson for the network told the L.A. Times on Monday. “Desus Nice and The Kid Mero have made a...
Q&A: Meet Brent Faiyaz, R&B’s antihero: ‘It’s not human to be constantly writing love songs’
This summer, billboards in major cities across the country displayed the following cryptic phrase: “I would like to apologize in advance for the person I’m gonna become once this album drops.” The billboards belonged to 26-year-old singer-songwriter Brent Faiyaz; the album in question was “Wasteland,” a cautionary, R&B-trap opera deriding...
Italy thwarts illegal auction abroad of Gentileschi painting
ROME — Italy’s art squad police said Tuesday they have thwarted the potential illegal sale by a Vienna auction house of a 17th-century painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, a celebrated Baroque artist. Carabinieri police said that art merchants had allegedly described the work as being painted by a follower of Gentileschi,...
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix has raised over $6 million for charity
Last year, vintage car driver Chris Longo recalled being worried something might be wrong with his vehicle before a race. Then he noticed some people nearby. The MGB GT’s condition became secondary. “We met a group of children with autism, and they were happy just to talk with us and...
The Chainsmokers to perform at the edge of space
NEW YORK — One of The Chainsmokers’ latest hits is “High” and they’re hoping to live up to their lyrics. The hit-making duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall have signed up to get into a pressurized capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon in a few years and perform some...
Review: Barbara Bourland autopsies the princess myth with precision
“The Force of Such Beauty” by Barbara Bourland (Dutton) It’s about time someone took the princess story that’s normalized to girls and autopsy it with absolute precision. “The Force of Such Beauty” opens on the night of Caroline’s second attempt at escaping Lucomo, the small European country in which she...
Don McLean looks back at his masterpiece, ‘American Pie’Video
NEW YORK — Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song “American Pie” at last call or at karaoke — and applauds you for the effort. “I’ve heard whole bars burst into this song when I’ve been across the room,” McLean tells The Associated Press...
Level Green artist Natalie Condrac’s miniatures make big impact on area art scene
A childhood fascination with miniature Christmas villages led to a life’s work for artist Natalie Condrac of Level Green. Six of her tiny tableaux are showing through Aug. 26 in the landside terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport. She also is creating a new piece to be featured at “Colorful Collision,”...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust adds music, comedy and more to gallery crawl
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s annual Summer Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District is about more than just art. It’s also about music, magic, comedy and a drag revue. From 5:30 p.m. to midnight Friday, free events are scheduled at more than 15 stops located in Trust galleries, other indoor and...
Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck wed in Las Vegas drive-through
NEW YORK — Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were wed Saturday in a late-night Las Vegas drive-through chapel, culminating a relationship that stretched over two decades in two separate romances and headlined countless tabloid covers. Lopez announced their marriage Sunday in her newsletter for fans with the heading “We did...
Elton John opens last leg of goodbye tour in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — I think it’s gonna be a long, long time until we see another songwriter and performer like Elton John. Wrapping up a 50-plus year career with a farewell tour, the British pianist and vocalist has created some of the most memorable and enduring music in the history of...
U.S. soprano, offended by blackface, pulls out of Italy opera
ROME — Soprano Angel Blue says she won’t perform in an opera in Italy this month because blackface was used in the staging of a different work this summer on the same stage. The U.S. singer posted a note on her angeljoyblue Instagram page saying she will be bowing out...
Picklesburgh has begun
Lynn Grimes was a blur, her blonde hair held back by a black hair band as she hurriedly got things ready in the Aunt Carol’s Pickles & Dip booth on the Rachel Carson Bridge. The high noon opening of the seventh edition of Picklesburgh was 10 minutes away and Grimes...
Lego releasing ‘The Office’ set with a stapler in Jello, ‘World’s Best Boss’ mug and more
The newest Lego building set will be hard to resist for fans of “The Office.” “Build familiar areas of Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton office with Lego bricks, including boss Michael Scott’s office (which slides out for display on its own), the conference room and much more,” Lego said. The set is...
Make the most of the season with our 2022 summer bucket list
Summer goes by fast — like, blink and you might miss it fast. We’re already in the middle of July, and back-to-school supplies are on the store shelves. Before we know it, pumpkin spice everything will surround us. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s make the most out...
Comedian Tracy Morgan coming to Pittsburgh this fall
You may not be able to catch funny man Tracy Morgan on “Saturday Night Live” these days but you’ll have an opportunity to see him in Pittsburgh this fall. Morgan is appearing at The Event Center at Rivers Casino on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. as part his “No...
Constance Wu said she attempted suicide after ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ tweet backlash
Constance Wu, known for her lead roles in “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” said she attempted suicide three years ago after receiving backlash for tweets she wrote about the hit TV show. In a statement shared on Twitter, Wu said she was making her return to social...
Giveon’s ‘Give or Take’ makes heartbreak enjoyable
NEW YORK — Giveon is a hopeless romantic. That could be why his disappointment toward failed relationships has been on full display in his music and is palpable throughout his debut album, “Give or Take.” “I just feel like the way society is going now, so many people, they just...
Van Gogh self-portrait found hidden behind another painting
LONDON — A previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh has been discovered behind another of the artist’s paintings, the National Galleries of Scotland said Thursday. The self-portrait was found on the back of Van Gogh’s “Head of a Peasant Woman” when experts at the Edinburgh gallery took an X-ray...
Pittsburgh Black Music Festival kicks off Thursday
A century of Black music in Pittsburgh, everything from jazz to hip hop, will be celebrated over four days during the city’s 4th annual Black Music Festival opening Thursday. Each day from Thursday to Sunday is being dedicated to a different genre of Black music and being performed on stages...
